Alessandro Nivola is an American actor who started out on the theater stage before going on to work in a wide range of projects on the theater stage as well as on the screen. Currently, he has had parts in a couple of movies that are set to be released in 2018, with one being The Red Sea Diving Resort and the other being The Art of Self-Defense. Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Alessandro Nivola:
His Grandfather Was a Famous Sculptor
On his paternal side, Nivola’s grandfather was an Italian-American sculptor of some note named Constantino Nivola. In short, Constantino Nivola was a Sardinian of humble background who spent some time as a stonemason before becoming a successful sculptor, who got married to a Jewish refugee named Ruth Guggenheim before fleeing from fascism together to the United States in 1939. Nowadays, there is a Nivola Museum in Orani, which is the small village where he was born.
Started Out on the Stage
Nivola is an excellent example of an actor who started out on the theater stage before managing to make a successful transition to the TV screen as well as the movie screen. His initial role was in a production of “Master Harold”…and the Boys, so it should come as no surprise to learn that he played the part of Hally in it, seeing as how the other two characters of importance are supposed to be black. With that said, Nivola’s second role in A Month in the Country was what raised his profile, seeing as how that brought him a nomination for a Drama Desk Award.
Had a Role In Face/Off
One of Nivola’s better-known roles was in Face/Off, which was a sci-fi movie that saw John Travolta and Nicholas Cage playing a FBI agent and a terrorist who switch faces with one another for somewhat convoluted reasons. In it, Nivola played the role of Cage’s character’s brother Pollux, whose unwillingness to reveal the location of a bomb planted by Cage’s character is the cause for Travolta’s character to get the face transplant. Unluckily for Pollux, he is one of a number of characters killed in a huge shootout between FBI agents led by Cage’s character and criminals led by Travolta’s character.
Had a Role In A Most Violent Year
Speaking of better-known roles, Nivola played Peter Forente in A Most Violent Year, which was a crime drama that came out in 2014. This time, Nivola’s character was someone associated with the mafia, which is approached by the main character of the movie about getting a loan to complete a business deal. However, his conditions are so ruinous that the main character complains about them to his wife, which turns out to be his salvation because she has built up a fair amount of savings via skimming off of his business.
Had a Role In The Wizard of Lies
Some people might remember The Wizard of Lies, which was a TV movie that was released on HBO. Like its name suggests, it was based on the non-fiction book of the same name, which was about the fraudster Bernie Madoff. In the movie, Bernie and Ruth Madoff were played by Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, while their son Mark Madoff was played by Nivola.
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